Published 4:56 pm, Tuesday, November 12, 2013

A: Legumes are vegetables that include beans, peas and lentils. Ask any nutrition professional to suggest an inexpensive, heart-healthy alternative to meat and they'll put legumes at the top of the list. The name "legume" may not be familiar to everyone, but members of the legume family are on more tables than you can imagine.

Legumes are "nutrient-dense," packing a lot of nutrition for the calories. Besides being a nutritional bargain, they are economical too. Your food dollars can stretch when you add beans to your weekly meal plan, while adding texture, taste and variety to many dishes.

Generally speaking, legumes are low in fat. They are a good source of vitamins, minerals and plant protein. They are a rich source of energy-producing carbohydrates and fiber. In particular, legumes contain soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and steadies blood glucose.

You may be familiar with the wide variety of legumes such as fava beans, lima beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas, black beans and Adzuki beans, just to name a few. I learned more about three of my favorite legumes (lentils, peas and edamame) from Lori Zanteson, a writer for Environmental Nutrition. Her articles shed light on what these wonderful legumes have to offer.

Growing up, legumes were a huge part of my family's diet. My mom was of Italian descent, but was raised as a child in Brazil. One night, we could have rice and red kidney beans and on another lentils with pasta. Lentils were my favorite, and I didn't know then how good they were for me. Lentils are particularly high in folate, a B vitamin that is important for red blood cell formation and critical for women of reproductive age, since it is responsible for reducing the risk of neural tube birth defects.

Peas are another legume that was often on our table, and the star ingredient in "pasta piselli" (pasta with peas), the first recipe I learned to make as a child. I can fondly remember the first time I made dinner on my own for my family. It was a dish with pasta shells, peas, bacon, onion, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh-grated cheese. I can still hear the rave reviews from my dad.

Those peas were loaded with phytonutrients, plant compounds that have health benefits above and beyond basic nutrition. Additionally, peas are a good source of Vitamin C, an antioxidant and Vitamin K, which is essential for proper blood clotting.

A popular legume and one of my new favorites is edamame, a Japanese word that describes green soybeans. This legume contains a phytoestrogen that has potential benefits for postmenopausal women, yet has been the subject of controversy with regard to cancer risk in women. The current recommendation seems to point to moderation in one's diet but if you have concerns, I recommend that you consult with your health care provider.

What makes the soybean so special is that its protein profile is similar to meat, meaning that all the amino acids (the building block of proteins) are represented. This makes it a "complete protein." Other legumes may be missing certain amino acids, but can be combined with a grain, which supplies the missing amino acid, to form a complete protein. Examples of this would be vegetarian dishes such rice and beans or corn tortillas. Legumes can ratchet up the health value of meat recipes by adding more beans to a ground beef chili recipe to reduce cholesterol and increase fiber.

For some of us, digestive issues can get in the way of enjoying legumes. The gas-causing culprit is the indigestible sugar raffinose that's found in beans. Limiting your portions and rinsing both dry and canned beans may help. The rinsing also helps to reduce the extra sodium found in canned beans.

The nutritional benefits and culinary potential of legumes are endless; if you want to learn more, go to www.americanbean.org/. You'll have access to interesting facts and over 1,000 recipes that will keep you happy and healthy.